Enhanced water treatment for reclamation of waste fluids and increased efficiency treatment of potable waters

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a process for reclamation of waste fluids. A conditioning container is employed for receipt of waste material on a continuous flow for treatment within the container by immersible transducers producing ultrasonic acoustic waves in combination with a high level of injected ozone. The treated material exhibits superior separation properties for delivery into a centrifuge for enhanced solid waste removal. The invention discloses a cost efficient and environmentally friendly process and apparatus for cleaning and recycling of flowback, or frac water, which has been used to stimulate gas production from shale formations. The apparatus is mobile and containerized and suitable for installation at the well site.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/399,481, filed Mar. 6, 2009, which is a continuation-in-part of nonprovisional application Ser. No. 12/184,716, entitled Enhanced WaterTreatment for Reclamation of Waste Fluids and Increased EfficiencyTreatment of Potable Waters, filed Aug. 1, 2008 which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of provisional application 60/953,584, entitledEnhanced Water Treatment for Reclamation of Waste Fluids and IncreasedEfficiency Treatment of Potable Water, filed Aug. 2, 2007, the contentsof which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention related to the field of water treatment and, inparticular to a process for reducing the need for off-site treatmentsuch as in the case of reclaiming drilling fluids, flowback fluids,subterranean oil and gas wells using produced water, and enhancing ozoneinjection processes for potable water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Worldwide, oil and gas companies spend more than $40 billion annuallydealing with produced water from wells. The global direct costs fromhauling water for treatment off-site alone will surpass $20 billion in2007, with expenses skyrocketing in the next few years.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has called produced water “by far thelargest single volume byproduct or waste stream associated with oil andgas production.” The DOE further terms its treatment a seriousenvironmental concern and a significantly growing expense to oil and gasproducers.

In 2007, the world's oil and gas fields will produce over 80 billionbarrels of water needing processing. The average is now almost ninebarrels of produced water for each barrel of oil extracted. And theratio of water to hydrocarbons increases over time as wells becomeolder. That means less oil or gas and more contaminated water as weattempt to meet rising global energy needs.

By way of example, in rotary drilling a by-product of the drillingprocess is a waste fluid commonly referred to as “drilling fluids” whichcarries cuttings and other contaminants up through the annulus. Thedrilling fluid reduces friction between the drilling bit and the sidesof the drilling hole; and further creates stability on the side walls ofan uncased drilling hole. The drilling fluid may include variousconstituents that are capable of creating a filter cake capable ofsealing cracks, holes, and pores along the side wall to prevent unwantedintrusion from the side wall into the drilled shaft opening. Water baseddrilling fluid's result in solid particles that are suspended in thewater that makes up the fluid characteristics of the drilling fluid.Drilling fluid's can be conditioned to address various processes thatmay include water soluble polymers that are synthesized or naturallyoccurring to try to be capable of controlling the viscosity of thedrilling fluid. The drilling fluid principle is used to carry cuttingsfrom beneath the drilling bit, cool and clean the drill bit, reducingfriction between the drill string and the sides of the drill hole andfinally maintains the stability of an uncased section of the uncasedhole.

Of particular interest in this example of a drilling fluid is thecommonly referred to 91 b drilling mud. Once this fluid is expelled, forpurposes of on-site discharge the specific gravity of water separatedneed to be about 8.34 lbs per gallon to meet environmental dischargelevels. One commonly known process is to use a centrifuge which iscapable of lowering the 9 pound drilling mud to approximately 8.5 poundsper gallon. However, this level is unacceptable for environmentaldischarge limit and it would then be necessary to induce chemicalpolymers to flocculate the slurry and further treat the volatile organiccompounds (VOC's) which are emitted as gases from certain solids orliquids. The VOC's are known to include a variety of chemicals some ofwhich may have short or long term adverse health effects and isconsidered an unacceptable environmental discharge contaminant.Unfortunately, the use of polymers and a settling time is so expensivethat it economically it becomes more conducive to treat the wasteoff-site which further adds to the cost of production by requiringoff-site transport/treatment or shipped to a hazardous waste facilitywhere no treatment is performed.

Thus, what is need in the industry is a reclamation process for reducingthe need to treat industrial waste off-site and further provide anon-site treatment process for use in reclaiming water.

In addition there are many gas fields, most notably in North America,that contain enormous amounts of natural gas. This gas is trapped inshale formations that require stimulating the well using a process knownas fracturing or fracing. The fracing process uses large amounts ofwater and large amounts of particulate fracing material (frac sands) toenable extraction of the gas from the shale formations. After the wellsite has been stimulated the water pumped into the well during thefracing process is removed. The water removed from the well is referredto as flowback fluid or frac water. A typical fracing process uses fromone to four million gallons of water to fracture the formations of asingle well. Water is an important natural resource that needs to beconserved wherever possible. One way to conserve water is to clean andrecycle this flowback or frac water. The recycling of frac water has theadded benefit of reducing waste product, namely the flowback fluid,which will need to be properly disposed. On site processing equipment,at the well, is the most cost effective and environmentally friendly wayof recycling this natural resource.

It takes approximately 4.5 million gallons of fresh water to fracture ahorizontal well. This water may be available from local streams andponds, or purchased from a municipal water utility. This water must betrucked to the well site by tanker trucks, which carry roughly fivethousand gallons per trip. During flowback operations, approximately 300tanker trucks are used to carry away more than one million gallons offlowback water per well for offsite disposal. For a 3 well frac sitethese numbers will increase by a factor of three.

The present invention provides a cost-effective onsite water recyclingservice that eliminates the need to truck flowback to a disposal pit, aholding pond, or recycling facility miles away.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention is directed to a reclamation process thatintroduces high intensity acoustic energy and triatomic molecules into aconditioning container to provide a mechanical separation of materialsby addressing the non-covalent forces of particles or, van der Waalsforce. The conditioning tank provides a first level of separationincluding an oil skimmer through an up flow configuration with dischargeentering a centrifuge. The conditioning container and centrifugeaddressing a majority of drilling fluid recovery operations, fluidcleaning, barite recovery, solids control, oily wastes, sludge removal,and so forth.

Water from the centrifuge is directed through a filtration process, sandor multimedia, for removal of large particulates before introductionthrough activated carbon filters for removal of organics and excessozone. Discharge from the carbon filters is directed to a clean watertank for distribution to utilities as well as for water makeup for theozone injection process and filtration backwash.

The instant invention also discloses a cost efficient andenvironmentally friendly process and apparatus for cleaning andrecycling of flowback, or frac water, which has been used to stimulategas production from shale formations. The invention also has the abilityto conserve water and reduce the amount of waste disposal. The abilityto perform this process adjacent the well head eliminates transportationcosts to a central processing facility and eliminates the vehicularimpact on the areas surrounding the gas fields.

Thus an objective of the invention is to provide an on-site process totreat waste fluids.

Still another objective of the invention is to provide an on-siteprocess that will lower the cost of oil products by reducing the currentand expensive processes used for off-site treatment of waste fluids.

Another objective of the invention is to provide an on-site process thatwill extend the life of fields and increase the extraction rate perwell.

Yet still another objective of the instant invention is to lower thespecific gravity of the 9 pound mud to approximately the specificgravity of water allowing for reclamation and reuse.

Still another objective of the instant invention is to eliminate theneed to recycling all drilling fluid due to current cost burdens createdby the need of polymers for further settlement of contaminants.

Still another objective of the instant invention is to teach thecombination of ultrasonic and hydrodynamic agitation in conjunction withozone introduction into a closed pressurized container whereby thecavitations cause disruption of the materials allowing the ozone tofully interact with the contaminated flow back water for enhancement ofseparation purposes. In addition, anodes in the container provide DCcurrent to the flow back water to drive the electro precipitationreaction for the hardness ions present with the flow back water.

Yet another objective of the instant invention is to reduce 9 pounddrilling mud into a separation process wherein the water separated has aspecific gravity of about 8.34.

Still another objective is to teach a process of enhanced ozoneinjection wherein ozone levels can be reduced be made more effective.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a cost effective andenvironmentally friendly process and apparatus for cleaning andrecycling frac water at the well site using transportable equipment thatis packaged within a trailer in a modular fashion to minimize down timeand make repair easier and more cost efficient.

Other objectives and advantages of this invention will become apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration andexample, certain embodiments of this invention. The drawings constitutea part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A & 1B is a flow schematic of drawing fluid reclamation process.

FIGS. 2A & 2B is a floor layout illustrating equipment placement withina 20 ft container.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate the flow diagram for processing flowbackwater at the well site.

FIG. 4A is a front perspective view of the containerized apparatus fortreating flowback water.

FIG. 4B is a rear perspective view of the containerized apparatus fortreating flowback water.

FIG. 4C is a top view of the containerized apparatus for treatingflowback water.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the containerized reverse osmosis (RO)equipment.

FIG. 5B is a top view of the containerized reverse osmosis (RO)equipment.

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C illustrate an alternative flow diagram forprocessing flow back water at the well site.

FIG. 7 illustrates the reactor tank used in the flow processing shown inFIGS. 6 a through 6C.

FIG. 8 is a cutaway perspective view of a truck trailer containing theequipment necessary for processing the flow back water at the well site.

FIG. 9 show data tables representing two samples of flow back water.Each data table sets forth the contaminants within the flow back waterprior to treatment in the main reaction tank as compared to the samecontaminants subsequent to treatment in the main reaction tank.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Now referring to FIG. 1 set forth is the preferred drawing fluidreclamation process (10) having an inlet (12) shown with a 3 inchsection hose and a shutoff valve (14). Pressurized drilling fluid isdirected through an inlet pipe (16) monitored by a pressure gauge (18)and inserted into conditioning tank (20) along a lower end (22) whereinthe drilling fluid fills the conditioning container (20) on an upwardflow. Ultrasonic acoustic transducers (24) and (26) are depicted atdifferent locations in the conditioning container, the ultrasonictransducers powered by a control panel (28) and monitored by aconductivity sensor (30).

The ultrasonic sensors are operated by use of an air compressor (32)with pressurized air stored within a tank (34) monitored by a lowpressure switch (36) and solenoid (38) for control of flow forproduction of the acoustic energy into the transducers (24) and (26). Anozone generator (40) is used to introduce ozone through an injector (42)in storage into an ozone contact tank (44) before introduction into thelower end (22) of the conditioning container (20) and inlet manifold(46). The preferred ultrasonic device is driven by silver braisedmagnetostrictive transducers, with all wetted surfaces being 316stainless steel. The resonant frequency of the immersible is preferablybetween 16 kHz or 20 kHz. When multiple generators are used they can besynchronized to operate at a single resident frequency. The use of theimmersible configuration allows placement within the conditioningcontainer so as to allow for continuous treatment thereby placing anintense ultrasonic energy into the controlled volume of material as itpasses by the multiple vibrating surfaces.

By way of example, drilling fluid (16) introduced into the conditioningcontainer is ozonated through the manifold (46) with the ozonateddrilling fluid passing through the acoustic energy provided by thetransducers (24) and (26) with conditioned drilling fluid removed fromthe conditioning container at outlet (48). A second outlet (50) isprovided for removal of petroleum products such as oil that form alongthe surface and can be collected through the manifold (50) and directedto an oil outlet (52) for collection and disposal. The ozonated andultrasonically treated drilling fluid that is directed through outlet(48) is placed into the inlet (54) of a centrifuge (56) which allows forsolid waste removal (60).

The slurry is the directed to an open container (62) for use in posttreatment. Post treatment is made possible by repressurization of theslurry by transfer pump (64) for introduction into a sand filter (66) atinlet (68). The sand filter permits removal of the remainingparticulates into a micron level and the filtered slurry is passedthrough directional valve (70) to outlet (72) and introduction intoparallel position activated carbon filters (80), (82) and (84). Theactivated carbon filters provide removal of any remaining organics aswell as reduces and eliminates any excess ozone with the effluentcollected by manifold (90) replacement into a clean water filter tank(92). The clean water tank is expected to have water with a specificgravity of approximately 8.34 making it available for environmentaldischarge or other uses with the utilities (94). The level float (96)provides operation of the transferred pump (64) from maintaining a levelin the clean water tank for distribution to the utilities. The cleanwater tank further allows for use of the reclaimed water forregeneration of the activation carbon by use of transfer pump (96)wherein backwashing of the sand filter (66) and carbon filters (82) and(84) is made possible through directional valve (70), (81), (83), and(85). Manifold collecting the backwashed water (100) is returned to theinlet pipe (16) for introduction in the conditioning container (20) forpurposes of polishing and recycling of the fluid. The clean water tank(92) further provides ozonator makeup by use of booster pump (110) whichdraws from the clean water tank (92) placement into the conditioningcontainer (20) wherein the clean water is injected with ozone aspreviously mentioned by injector (42) for storage and ozone contact tank(44).

It should be noted that the use of drilling fluid is only an example.Produced water from an oil or gas well, or even enhancement of potablewater benefits from the process.

Now referring to FIG. 2 set forth is a layout of a container depictingthe conditioning container (20) having the ozone contact tank (44) andbooster pump (110). Following the conditioning container (20) theeffluent is directed to the centrifuge (56) located outside of thecontainer and placed in a water holding tank (62) not shown but alsoplaced outside of the container. The water from the tank (62) isrepressurized by booster pump (64) and directed through sand filter (66)followed by activated carbon filters (80) and (82). Also placed withinthe shipping container (200) is the ozone generator (40) and ultrasonicgenerator (28). A central control panel (111) allows central controloperation of all components. A repressurization pump (96) can also beplaced within the container (200) for use in backwashing the activatedcarbon and sand filter. The conventional container has access doors oneither end with a walkway (202) in a central location. The walkwayallows access by either door (204) or (206). Access to the activatedcarbon and sand filters as well as the pressurization pumps can beobtained through access doors (208) and (210).

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate the frac water fluid treatment process.This apparatus used in this process is designed to be mounted within astandard shipping container or truck trailer such that it can be movedfrom location to location to treat the frac water on site. Frac waterenters frac water process tank 302 through inlet 304. The effluent isremoved from tank 302 by pump 306 through flow meter 308 and thenthrough back wash filter 310. Filter 310 removes substances such as fracsands and foreign particles in the range of 25 to 50 microns. From thefilter 310, seventy percent of the effluent is saturated with ozone inozone contact tank 316, via line 315, and the remaining thirty percentis introduced into main reactor tank 318, via line 319. Reactor tank ismaintained at an internal pressure greater than atmospheric. Oxygengenerator 312 feeds ozone generator 314 which in turn feeds into ozonecontact tank 316. Line 317 feeds the effluent leaving ozone contact tank316 to the main reactor tank 318. The effluent from the ozone contacttank 316 is introduced through a manifold 321 within the reactor tank318. The manifold includes orifices designed to create hydrodynamiccavitations with the main reactor tank 318. In addition the reactor tank318 also includes ultrasonic transducers 322 positioned as variouselevations within the reactor tank 318. These ultrasonic transducers 322are designed to create acoustic cavitations. Aluminum sulfate from tank326 is introduced to in line mixer 328 via line 327. The effluent frompressurized main reactor tank 312 is carried by line 325 to in line 328where it mixes with the aluminum sulfate. The effluent then flowsthrough tanks 330 and 332 prior to entering disc bowl centrifuges 334and 336. To remove total organic carbon from the effluent it is passedthrough an ultraviolet light source having a wavelength 185 nm in vessel338. The total organic compound breaks down into CO2 in the presence ofhydroxyl radical present in the effluent.

The effluent is then passed through three media tanks 342 eachcontaining activated carbon. These filters will polish the effluentfurther and remove any leftover heavy metals. They will also break downany remaining ozone and convert it into oxygen. The effluent will thenbe conveyed to tank 344 prior to being introduced to micron filters 346.Each filter is capable of filtering material down to one to fivemicrons. The effluent leaving the micron filters is then pressurized viapumps 348 prior to entering the reverse osmosis membranes 350. Each pump348 can operate up to 1000 psi separating clean permeate and reject thebrine. Outlet 352 carries the concentrated waste product to be conveyedto a reject water tank for reinjection or other suitable disposal.Outlet 354 carries the RO product water to be conveyed to a clean waterfrac tank for storage and distribution.

FIG. 4A is a perspective side view of the containerized frac waterpurification apparatus with the side walls and top removed for clarity.Container 400 is a standard container typically used to ship freight,and the like, by truck, rail or ship. Each container will be brought tothe well site by truck and installed to process the flowback frac water.The container is partitioned into two separate areas. One area includesthe ozone generator 314 a main control panel 402 and an ultra sonicpanel 404. The other section includes the three media tanks 342, thepressurized main reactor tank 318, the air separation unit 312,centrifuge feed pumps 333 and centrifuges 334 and 336.

FIG. 4B illustrates the ozone booster pump 309, the reaction tank 330,the air tank 313, the air compressor and dryer 311 and the ozone boosterpump 309.

FIG. 4C is a top view of the container 400 and shows control room 406,and equipment room 408.

FIG. 5A shows a perspective view of a second container 410 that housesthe reverse osmosis pumps 348, the micron filters 346 and osmosismembrane filters 350. FIG. 5B is a top view the second container thatshows how the second container is partitioned into two separate areas;an office/store room 412 and an equipment area 414.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C illustrate an alternative frac water fluidtreatment process. This apparatus used in this process is designed to bemounted within a truck trailer such that it can be moved from locationto location to treat the frac water on site. Frac water enters fracwater process tank 602 through inlet 604. The effluent is removed fromtank 602 by pump 606 through flow meter 608 and then through back washfilter 610. Filter 610 removes substances such as frac sands and foreignparticles in the range of 25 to 50 microns. From the filter 610 theeffluent proceeds via line 615 to ozone treatment tank 616 where it issaturated with ozone. Air enters compressor 613 through dryers 611.Oxygen generator 612 receives compressed air from compressor 613 andfeeds ozone generator 614 which in turn feeds ozone to a highefficiency, venturi type, differential pressure injector 607 which mixesthe ozone gas with the flowback water. The flowback water enters theinjector at a first inlet and the passageway within the injector tapersin diameter and becomes constricted at an injection zone locatedadjacent the second inlet. At this point the flowback flow changes intoa higher velocity jet stream. The increase in velocity through theinjection zone results in a decrease in pressure thereby enabling theozone to be drawn in through the second inlet and entrained into theflowback water. The flow path down stream of the injection zone istapered outwards towards the injector outlet thereby reducing thevelocity of the flowback water. Within injector 607 ozone is injectedthrough a venturi at vacuum of 5 inches of Hg. The pressure drop acrossthe venturi is approximately 60 psi which ensures good mixing of theozone gas with the effluent and small ozone bubble generation. An ozonebooster pump 609 feeds effluent and ozone into injector 607. Line 617then conveys the output of ozone treatment tank 616 to an in line staticmixer 628. The inline static mixture 628 ensures that the bubbles aremaintained at the 1 to 2 micron level. Aluminum sulfate from tank 626 isintroduced to in line static mixer 628 via line 627. The inline staticmixer 628 is comprised of a series of geometric mixing elements fixedwithin a pipe which uses the energy of the flow stream to create mixingbetween two or more fluids. The output of in line mixer 628 is thenintroduced into chemical mixing tank 630. The alum is a coagulatingagent with a low pH that coagulates suspended solids and also keeps ironin suspension. The output of mixing tank 630 is then conveyed via line631 to main reactor tank 618. The output is introduced through amanifold 621 within the main reactor tank 618.

The manifold 621 includes orifices designed to create hydrodynamiccavitations with the main reactor tank 618. By way of example, thediameters of the holes within the manifold 621 are approximately 5 mmand the pressure difference across the manifold is approximately 20 psi.In addition, the main reactor tank 618 also includes four submersibleultrasonic transducers 622A and 622B positioned at various elevationswithin the reactor tank 618. These ultrasonic transducers 622A and 622Bare designed to create acoustic cavitations. Each transducer includes adiaphragm that is balanced with the help of a pressure compensationsystem so that a maximum amount of ultrasonic energy is released intothe effluent. The main reactor tank 618 includes a pair of 16 KHz and apair of 20 KHz frequency ultrasonic horns (622A and 622B, respectively).The ultrasonic horns 622A and 622B are installed around the periphery ofthe tank creating a uniform ultrasonic environment which helps toincrease the mass transfer efficiency of the ozone. In addition, the 16KHz and 20 KHZ horns 622A and 622B are installed opposite to each otherinside the tank to create a dual frequency filed that continuouslycleans the internal tank surface. The acoustic cavitations generated bythe ultrasonic generators 622A and 622B also greatly enhance theoxidation rate of the organic material with ozone bubbles and ensureuniform mixing of the oxidant with the effluent. As shown in FIGS. 6Aand 7 main reactor tank 618 also includes a plurality of anodes 619within the tank that provides DC current to the effluent and therebycreates oxidants in the water. In this process the DC current drives theelectro precipitation reaction for the hardness ions present in theeffluent. During this treatment the positively charged cations movetowards the electron emitting (negative) cathode which is the shell ofthe main reactor tank 618. The negatively charged anions move towardsthe positive anodes 619. In this process sulfate ions are fed to thecations which either form a scale or are transformed into a colloidalfrom and remain suspended in the effluent. Some heavy metals areoxidized to an insoluble dust while others combine with sulfate orcarbonate ion to make a precipitate under the influence of theelectrode. The carbonate and sulfate salt precipitate on the returncathode surface. The ultrasound continuously cleans the precipitation onthe return cathode surface and produces small flakes which are removedlater in the process during centrifuge separation. The cations whichprecipitate with sulfate ions are in colloidal form have fewertendencies to form any scaling and remain in colloidal form through outthe process notwithstanding the temperature and pressure. The coagulatedsuspended solids are then removed in centrifuge separation later in theprocess. The anodes 619 are made of titanium and are provided with acoating of oxides of Rh and Ir to increase longevity. The anodes 619 arepowered by a DC power supply whose power output can be up to 100 voltsDC and up to 1000 amps current. The DC power supply can be variedaccording to targeted effluent. For example, for water effluent with ahigher salt content the power supply output would provide less DCvoltage and more DC current than water with low levels of salt. The mainReactor tank 618 is maintained at an internal pressure greater thanatmospheric.

The effluent then flows through line 624 and into tank 632 and thenthrough feed pump 633 into centrifuge 634 and then into intermediateprocess tank 636.

The effluent is then passed through three media tanks 642 eachcontaining activated carbon. These filters will polish the effluentfurther and remove any leftover heavy metals. They will also break downany remaining ozone and convert it into oxygen. The effluent will thenbe conveyed to tank 644 prior to being introduced to micron filter 646.The filter is capable of filtering material down to one to five microns.The effluent leaving the micron filter passes through an accumulator andis then pressurized via pump 648 prior to entering the reverse osmosismembranes 650. The pump 648 can operate up to 1000 psi separating cleanpermeate and reject the brine. Outlet 652 carries the concentrated wasteproduct to be conveyed to a reject water tank for reinjection or othersuitable disposal. Outlet 654 carries the RO product water to beconveyed to a clean water frac tank for storage and distribution.

FIG. 8 illustrates a cut away view of a modified truck trailer 660 thatis designed to transport the frac water processing equipment for thesystem such as the one disclosed in FIGS. 6A-6C. The trailer ispartitioned into discrete areas. As shown, area 662 is designated as thearea for the RO equipment and the centrifuge. Area 664 is the areadesignated for the media and cartridge filters. Similarly, area 666would contain the ozone producing and treatment equipment as well as themain treatment tank. The control room is installed in compartment 668and an electrical generator (typically 280 Kw) is installed incompartment 670. The equipment is assembled in a modular fashion. Module672 includes a centrifuge and RO and ancillary equipment mounted on askid. Module 674 includes the media and cartridge filters and ancillaryequipment that is also mounted on a skid. A third module 676 includesthe ozone producing and treatment equipment, the main treatment tank andother supporting equipment also mounted on a moveable skid. Byconfiguring the processing equipment in a modular fashion and placingthem on skids that are removable from the truck trailer the systemcomponents can be readily replaced. The ability to swap out systemcomponent modules substantially minimizes system down time and improvesthe ability to repair the processing equipment in a quick and efficientmanner.

FIG. 9 shows data tables representing two samples of flow back water.Each data table sets forth the contaminants within the flow back waterprior to treatment in the main reaction tank as compared to the samecontaminants subsequent to treatment in the main reaction tank. As canbe seen from the tables, the main treatment tank will remove substantialamounts of contaminant from the flow back water.

The theory of operation behind the main treatment is a s follows. Themass transfer of ozone in the flow back water is achieved byhydrodynamic and acoustic cavitations. In the pressurized tank theozonated flow back water is mixed with incoming flow back water by aheader having many small orifices. The phenomenon of hydrodynamiccavitations is created as the pressurized flow back water leaves thesmall orifices on the header. The dissolved ozone forms into millions ofmicro bubbles which are mixed and reacted with the incoming flow backwater. As the flow back water flows upwards through the reaction tankultrasonic transducers located around the periphery of the tank atdifferent locations emit 16 KHz and 20 KHz waves in the flow back water.

A sonoluminescence effect is observed due to acoustic cavitation asthese ultrasonic waves propagate in the flow back water and catch themicro bubbles in the valley of the wave. Sonoluminescence occurswhenever a sound wave of sufficient intensity induces a gaseous cavitywithin a liquid to quickly collapse. This cavity may take the form of apre-existing bubble, or may be generated through hydrodynamic andacoustic cavitation. Sonoluminescence can be made to be stable, so thata single bubble will expand and collapse over and over again in aperiodic fashion, emitting a burst of light each time it collapses. Astanding acoustic wave is set up within a liquid by four acoustictransducers and the bubble will sit at a pressure anti node of thestanding wave. The frequencies of resonance depend on the shape and sizeof the container in which the bubble is contained. The light flashesfrom the bubbles are extremely short, between 35 and few hundredpicoseconds long, with peak intensities of the order of 1-10 mW. Thebubbles are very small when they emit light, about 1 micrometer indiameter depending on the ambient fluid, such as water, and the gascontent of the bubble. Single bubble sonoluminescence pulses can havevery stable periods and positions. In fact, the frequency of lightflashes can be more stable than the rated frequency stability of theoscillator making the sound waves driving them. However, the stabilityanalysis of the bubble shows that the bubble itself undergoessignificant geometric instabilities, due to, for example, the Bjerknesforces and the Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities. The wavelength of emittedlight is very short; the spectrum can reach into the ultraviolet. Lightof shorter wavelength has higher energy, and the measured spectrum ofemitted light seems to indicate a temperature in the bubble of at least20,000 Kelvin, up to a possible temperature in excess of one megaKelvin. The veracity of these estimates is hindered by the fact thatwater, for example, absorbs nearly all wavelengths below 200 nm. Thishas led to differing estimates on the temperature in the bubble, sincethey are extrapolated from the emission spectra taken during collapse,or estimated using a modified Rayleigh-Plesset equation. During bubblecollapse, the inertia of the surrounding water causes high speed andhigh pressure, reaching around 10,000 K in the interior of the bubble,causing ionization of a small fraction of the noble gas present. Theamount ionized is small enough fir the bubble to remain transparent,allowing volume emission; surface emission would produce more intenselight of longer duration, dependent on wavelength, contradictingexperimental results. Electrons from ionized atoms interact mainly withneutral atoms causing thermal bremsstrahlung radiation. As theultrasonic waves hit a low energy trough, the pressure drops, allowingelectrons to recombine with atoms, and light emission to cease due tothis lack of free electrons. This makes for a 160 picosecond light pulsefor argon, as even a small drop in temperature causes a large drop inionization, due to the large ionization energy relative to the photonenergy.

By way of example, the instant invention can be used to treat producedwater containing water soluble organic compounds, suspended oil dropletsand suspended solids with high concentration of ozone and ultrasonicwaves resulting in degrading the level of contaminants.

Case 1: Processing Fluid (Effluent) from Oil Drilling Well

Objective: To increase the efficiency of mechanical centrifugalSeparation by treating effluent generated from oil drilling operationwith Ozone and Ultrasonic waves.

The main constituent of effluent is bentonite. Bentonite consistspredominantly of smectite minerals montmorillonite. Smectite are clayminerals of size less than 2˜5 microns. Mainly traces of silicon (Si),aluminum (Al), Magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca) salts found in thebentonite.

The percentage of solids (bentonite) in effluent varies from 40% to 60%.Also contaminants oil, grease, VOC are found in the effluent.

Anticipated Effect of Ozone and Ultrasonic on Effluent:

Ozone 40 is introduced into the tank 20 in the form of micro bubbleswhich starts oxidation reactions where the organic molecules in theeffluent are modified and re-arranged. The bonding between bentonitemolecules with water is broken down by hydrodynamic cavitations causedby imploding micro bubbles of ozone with bentonite.

The mass transfer of ozone into effluent is further enhanced bysubjecting the effluent with ultrasonic submersible transducers 24 and26 located at various elevations in the tank. The ultrasonic wave (rangefrom 14 KHz to 20 KHz) propagates through water causing acousticcavitations. This helps ozone to react with bentonite irrespective oftemperature and pH, coverts into collided slimy sludge mass, suspendedin water.

The oxidation process of ozone improves color of the water from grey towhite. During the process soluble organic compounds broke down intocarbon dioxide and oxygen molecules.

As water travels from bottom 22 to the top 23 of the tank 20, volatileorganic compounds are collected at the top of the tank, which can bedrained out with the help of outlet 50 provided.

Main effluent is piped 48 to centrifuge where the efficiency ofseparation is expected to increase by 30-40%.

Case II: Produced Water from Offshore Drilling Well

Main properties of this effluent is

Color/Appearance: Black.

Total suspended solids: 9500 ppmTotal dissolved solids: 3290 ppmChemical Oxygen demand: 3370 ppm

Biological Oxygen Demand: 580 ppm

pH: 7.88Oil and Grease: 17.2 mgHX/1The effluent2 has peculiar H2S odor.

Effect of Ozone and Ultrasonic Waves:

Ozone 40 is introduced into the tank 20 in the form of micro bubbleswhich starts oxidation reactions where the organic molecules in theeffluent are modified and re-arranged. The suspended solids areseparated and are broken down by hydrodynamic cavitations caused byimploding micro bubbles of ozone. This helps suspended solids coagulate.The oxidation process of ozone improves the color, eliminate the odderand convert suspended solids into inert particle.

The mass transfer of ozone into effluent is further enhanced bysubjecting the effluent with ultrasonic submersible transducers 24 & 26located at various elevations in the tank. Greater mass transfer ofozone into effluent is achieved irrespective of temperature or pH ofwater. The ultrasonic wave (range from 14 KHz to 20 KHz) propagatesthrough water causing acoustic cavitations. This helps ozone to reactbetter separating volatile organic compounds, suspended solids fromwater molecule. During the process soluble organic compounds broke downinto carbon dioxide and oxygen molecules.

The expected results after Ozonix® Process on effluent 2 are:

Color/Appearance: pale yellow, colorlessTotal suspended solids: less than 40 ppmTotal dissolved solids: less than 30 ppmChemical Oxygen demand: less than 10 ppmBiological Oxygen Demand: less than 10 ppmpH: 7Oil and Grease: less than 5 ppm

Odorless.

Case III: Treatment of Flowback or Frac Water with Mobile Equipment

The typical flowback fluid contains the following contaminants:

Iron 60.2 mg/L Manganese 1.85 mg/L Potassium 153.0 mg/L Sodium 7200 mg/LTurbidity 599 NTU Barium 14.2 mg/L Silica 36.9 mg/L Stontium 185 mg/LNitrate 0.0100 U mg/L Nitrite 0.0200 U mg/L TSS 346 mg/L TDS 33800 mg/LOil + Grease 9.56 mgHx/L (HEM) Calcium Hardness 4690 mg/L MagnesiumHardness 967 mg/L Specific Conductance 51500 umhos/cm Ammonia (as N)Unionized 67.8 mg/L Chloride 19300 mg/L Sulfate 65.0 mg/L TotalPhosphorous 2.07 mg/L (as P) TOC 163 mg/L Bicarbonate CaCO3 404 mg/LBicarbonate HCO3 247 mg/L Carbonate CO3 0.100 U mg/L Carbonate CaCO30.100 U mg/L

All of the contaminants are eliminated at various stages of thefiltration system.

During the pretreatment stage the frac, flowback water, is pumpedthrough 50 micron filter 310 which includes an automatic backwashfeature. This filter removes substances like frac sands, and foreignparticles above 50 microns in size. Approximately 70 percent of the fracwater is then saturated with ozone in the ozone contact tank 316 withthe remainder, approximately 30 percent, directed to the main reactortank 318. The effluent from the ozone contact tank 316 is introducedthrough a manifold 321 within the reactor tank 318. The manifoldincludes orifices designed to create hydrodynamic cavitations with themain reactor tank. In addition the reactor tank 318 also includesultrasonic transducers 322 positioned as various elevations within thereactor tank 318. These ultrasonic transducers 322 are designed tocreate acoustic cavitations. The combination of both acoustical andultrasonic cavitations causes the maximum mass transfer of ozone withinthe treatment tank in the shortest period of time. This process oxidizesall the heavy metals and soluble organics and disinfects the effluent.The process within the main reactor tank 318 also causes the suspendedsolid to coagulate thereby facilitating their separation duringcentrifugal separation. Additionally, to coagulate all the oxidizedmetals and suspended solids aluminum sulfate (Alum) is added after themain reactor tank 318 and before the centrifugal separation.

All suspended solids are removed in the disc bowl centrifuge. Thesuspended solids are collected at the periphery of the disc bowlcentrifuge 334 and intermittently during de-sludging cycles. At thispoint in the process the effluent is free from all suspended solids,heavy metals, and soluble organics. The effluent is then passed throughan ultra-violet light 338 using 185 nm wavelength to remove all organiccarbon. The total organic carbon (TOC) is broken down into CO2 in thepresence of hydroxyl radical present in the affluent.

The effluent is then passed through three media tanks 342 containingactivated carbon. These filters serve to further polish the effluent andremove any left over heavy metals. In addition the media tanks alsobreak down any remaining ozone and convert it into oxygen. At this stageof filtration the effluent is free from soluble and insoluble oils,heavy metals, and suspended solids.

The effluent is then passed through reverse osmosis (RO) filtration. TheRO feed pump passes the effluent through a 1 micron filter 346 which isthen fed to five high pressure RO pumps. The RO pumps 348 can operate upto 1000 psi thereby separating permeate and rejecting the brine. Toavoid scaling the RO membranes 350 anti-scalant material is fed into thesuction inlet of the RO pump. The clean permeate has total dissolvedsalts in the range of 5˜50 PPM. By way of example, is the system isprocessing 45,000 PPM TDS effluent the resultant TDS in RO reject waterwill be approximately 80,000 PPM.

It is to be understood that while certain forms of the invention isillustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or processherein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in theart that various changes may be made without departing from the scope ofthe invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to whatis shown and described in the specification and drawings.

1. A mobile flowback water treatment system comprising: a backwashfilter having an inlet that is fluidly connected to a source of flowbackfluid, said backwash filter also having an outlet, the outlet of saidbackwash filter is fluidly connected to a first inlet of an ozoneinjector device, said ozone injector device having a second inletfluidly connected to a source of ozone, said injector device having anoutlet fluidly connected to an inlet of an ozone contact tank, saidozone tank having an outlet fluidly connected to a first inlet of aninline static mixer, said system also including a source of aluminumsulfate, said source of aluminum sulfate being fluidly connected to asecond inlet of said inline static mixer, said in line static mixerhaving an outlet in fluid communication with an inlet of a main reactortank, the inlet of said main reactor tank fluidly connected to an inletmanifold contained within said main reactor tank, said manifoldconfigured to cause hydrodynamic cavitations within the main reactortank, said main reactor further including ultrasonic transducers tocreate acoustic cavitations with said main reactor tank, said mainreactor tank further including at least one electrically charged anodeand at least one cathode within said main reaction tank configured toprovide DC current to the flowback water within said tank.
 2. The mobileflowback water treatment system of claim 1 wherein said main reactortank has an outlet fluidly connected to at least one centrifuge toseparate solids out of said flowback water suspended solids are removedfrom the flowback water at said at least one centrifuge.
 3. The mobileflowback water treatment system of claim 2 wherein an outlet of said atleast one centrifuge is fluidly connected to a plurality of the mediatanks, said plurality of media tanks having a flowback fluid outlet,whereby the flowback fluid is polished and any remaining heavy metals asremoved and any remaining ozone is converted to oxygen.
 4. The mobileflowback water treatment system of claim 3 wherein the outlet of saidplurality of media tanks is fluidly connected to a plurality of micronsized filters capable of filtering solids of one micron, said filtershaving a fluid outlet.
 5. The mobile flowback water treatment system ofclaim wherein the fluid outlet of said plurality of micron sized filtersis fluidly connected to a plurality of reverse osmosis pumps, each pumpincreasing the fluid pressure of the flowback water, the fluid outputfrom each pump is then introduced into a filtering chamber containing areverse osmosis membrane thereby forcing the flowback water through areverse osmosis membrane, said filtering chambers having a first andsecond outlet, the first outlet containing clean flowback water forsubsequent storage and distribution and a second outlet containingconcentrated waste to return to a reject water tank for reinjection orother suitable disposal.
 6. The mobile flowback water treatment systemof claim 1 wherein an ozone booster pump is connected between the outletof said backwash filter and the first inlet of said ozone injectordevice.
 7. The mobile flowback water treatment system of claim 1 whereina feed pump moves said source of aluminum sulfate to said second inletof said inline static mixer.
 8. The mobile flowback treatment system ofclaim 1 wherein said main reactor tank is operated under a pressuregreater than atmospheric pressure.
 9. The mobile flowback treatmentsystem of claim 1 wherein said source of ozone is an ozone generatorwhich is in fluid communication with said injector.
 10. The mobileflowback treatment system of claim 9 further including an oxygengenerator having an outlet that is fluidly connected to the inlet ofsaid ozone generator.
 11. The mobile flowback treatment system of claim1 wherein said treatment system is mounted within a standard trucktrailer that is capable of transport by truck, rail or ship.
 12. Themobile flowback treatment system of claim 11 wherein the trailer ispartitioned into discrete areas configured to accept removable skidssupporting system components.
 13. The mobile flowback treatment systemof claim 12 wherein a centrifuge and RO filtering apparatus are mountedon a first skid, media and cartridge filters are mounted on a secondskid, and, the ozone generator and treatment equipment and the mainreaction tank are located on a third skid.
 14. The mobile flowbacktreatment system of claim 12 wherein the trailer also includes aplurality of compartments, one of said compartments including treatmentsystem controls and another of said compartments including an electricalgenerator.
 15. The mobile flowback treatment system of claim 1, saidtransducers include at least one pair of ultrasonic transducersoperating at approximately 16 KHz and at least one pair of ultrasonictransducers operating at approximately 20 KHz.
 16. A process fortreating flowback water including the steps of: fluidly connecting asource of flowback water to a backwash filter, filtering said flowbackwater and directing the outlet of the backwash filter to a first inletof an ozone injector device, fluidly connecting a source of ozone to asecond inlet on said ozone injection device, communicating an, fluidlyconnecting an outlet of said ozone injector device to an inlet of anozone contact tank, fluidly connecting an outlet of said ozone contacttank to a first inlet of an inline static mixer, conveying a source ofaluminum sulfate to a second inlet of said inline static mixer,conveying the flowback water from an outlet of said inline static mixerto a manifold within a main reactor tank whereby hydrodynamiccavitations are created within said main reactor tank, positioningultrasonic transducers with said main reactor tanks to create acousticcavitations within said main reactor tank, positioning at least oneanode and at least one cathode within said main reactor tank.
 17. Aprocess for treating flowback water as set forth in claim 16 includingthe steps of: creating a pressure greater than atmospheric pressurewithin said main reactor tank.
 18. A process for treating flowback wateras set forth in claim 16 including the steps of; exposing the flowbackwater with said main treatment tank to at least one pair of ultrasonictransducers operating at approximately at 16 KHz and at least one pairof ultrasonic transducers operating at approximately 20 KHz.
 19. Aprocess for treating flowback water as set forth in claim 18 includingthe step of passing the flowback water through a plurality of mediatanks containing activated carbon.
 20. A process for treating flowbackwater as set forth in claim 19 including the steps of; passing theflowback water through reverse osmosis pumps and membranes to therebyproduce a first output of clean flowback water and a second output ofreject water for disposal.
 21. A process for treating flowback water asset forth in claim 16 wherein the equipment for performing the processis assembled as a plurality of removable modules that are mounted onskids that are placed within a standard truck trailer, said trailermoveable from one well site to another by truck, rail or ship.
 22. Aprocess for treating flowback water as set forth in claim 16 includingthe step of conveying the flowback water from an outlet of said mainreactor tank to at least one centrifuge that will separate the solidsout of the flowback water.
 23. A fluid treatment tank for use in aflowback fluid treatment system comprising: a closed reactor tank havinga fluid inlet and a fluid outlet; said flowback fluid directed throughsaid inlet pipe and into said closed reactor tank; a source of ozone,said ozone introduced directly into said flowback water; an ultrasonicacoustic transducer located within said closed reactor tank to treatsaid flowback fluid, said reactor tank also includes at least oneelectrically charged anode and at least one electrically charged cathodewithin said reactor tank that provides DC current to the flowback fluid;and said fluid outlet directing said treated flowback fluid from saidclosed reactor tank.
 24. The fluid treatment tank of claim 23, furtherincluding a manifold connected to said inlet, said manifold havingorifices designed to create hydrodynamic cavitations within said closedreactor tank as the flowback fluid enters said closed reactor tank. 25.The fluid treatment tank of claim 22, wherein said reactor tank is partof mobile on site flowback treatment system for oil and gas wells, andsaid treatment system is completely mounted within a standard containerconfigured to ship freight either by truck, rail or ship.